“Council Of Cats”: 80 Hilariously Adorable Cats Caught Planning Their Next Move (New Pics)

Cats are known to be solitary creatures, preferring to hunt solo and conduct their business alone. According to the International Cat Care site, a cat’s territory includes a core area (or den) where they feel safe enough to sleep, eat, play, and potentially enjoy social interaction.

They'll often defend their territory and fight off (or chase away) other cat intruders. Cats will leave the safety of their dens to hunt or roam in surrounding areas. And as many a cat owner may have experienced, they might bring their prey home as a little gift for their master.

"In the wild, cats may have territories that overlap, with ‘neutral areas’ where they can greet and interact with each other," notes the site. "If an unfamiliar cat enters another cat’s territory, this may provoke behavioural responses aimed at deterring the cat and driving them away - starting with staring, hissing, and growling, and if that doesn’t work, chasing them and possibly a short, noisy, violent attack."

But even though they're known to be solitary creatures, cats are very capable of living in groups. And many do...

According to Phyllis Meyer, a certified Veterinary Technician in Colorado and cat behavior expert, free-roaming cats tend to form groups called colonies - especially if there's lots of food around. These colonies are led by females, with a mother, her sisters, and daughters taking care of the young. They'll nurse each others’ kittens and even help each other give birth.

"Male kittens are driven off by their mothers at maturity to avoid inbreeding," reveals Meyer. "They can become solitary hunters like their wildcat ancestors or become attached to an unrelated colony if accepted by the females."

International Cat Care's experts note that even though feral cats form groups, they still hunt alone and don’t rely on each other for survival. In other words, they aren't considered ‘pack’ animals.

When it comes to having multiple pet cats in one home, Meyer says there are a few steps you can take to help avoid fighting and conflict. The first is to identify the social groups of cats. In other words, the ones that prefer to stay together.

These cats typically sleep snuggled together, groom each other, rub against each other and “play fight.” They are usually comfortable sharing resources like food, water, litter boxes, sleeping and resting places. 

"Once the social groups in the house are identified, it important for the cat owner to monitor how the cats are getting along and intervene, if necessary, to prevent conflict," Meyer cautions. "A cat fight can result in injuries to the fighting cats and the humans who try and manage the fight."

The expert adds that aggression does not need to cause physical injury. Sometimes psychological stress over limited resources can cause illness and behaviors like house-soiling.

You might think chasing, running away, howling and hissing are the main warning signs to look out for in multi-cat households. But Meyer says there are also more subtle, seemingly harmless 'red flags' such as staring and blocking doorways.

"If you see one of your cats fixing an unblinking stare on another, take note of the circumstances and see what happens if you intervene," advises the expert. "For example, if one cat is staring at another cat and is sitting in a doorway, she may be blocking the other from resources through that doorway."

Meyer suggests interrupting the stare by opening the door wider, throwing a treat away from the doorway, or redirecting the “door-blocker” with a toy. This should give the other cat an opportunity to get through the doorway. After this, you should keep an eye on how the cats get along so that you can take further steps to avoid conflict.

The expert warns that you shouldn't physically handle or pick up the cats if you spot them staring. That's because they may be angrier than they appear and things could escalate fast.

International Cat Care's experts say you should always make sure there are enough resources (food and water bowls, litter trays, scratching posts, beds etc) for each cat in a multi-cat home. "Plus at least one extra," they add, "spaced out around the house so there’s no competition for resources."

The note that it’s also important that each cat has a space where they can be alone and avoid other cats, should they choose to do so.

According to Meyer, it's okay to have one litter box for social group of cats. But make sure those outside of the group have their own box. She suggests always feeding cats individually and out of sight of each other, as well as setting aside daily play time for each cat.

"One of the keys to harmony in the multi-cat home is to provide multiple resources and spread them throughout the house," Meyer explains. "The goal is to ensure that all cats have access to litter boxes, food and water without having to compete with another cat."